Bianka O'Brien and her son Jude who are feared to be victims of the Rozelle Convenience store explosion. Picture: FacebookSource:Facebook

The shop lies in ruins / Picture: John GraingerSource:News Limited

The devastating scene after the blast which may have taken the lives of Bianka O’Brien and her baby boy Jude as well as another man.Source:Supplied

The body of an adult male was recovered last night by firefighters who vowed to stay at the scene until every piece of debris was overturned in the search for the two missing.

John O’Brien arrives at the scene / Picture: John GraingerSource:News Limited

John O'Brien and baby son Jude / Picture: FacebookSource:Facebook

Bianka O’Brien, 31, and her “cheeky monkey” baby boy Jude are still unaccounted for after a fireball ripped through the unit block. Chris Noble, 30, who lived in one of the units, was the other person reported missing.

Chris Noble / Picture: Channel 9Source:Channel 9

A woman is comforted at the scene / Picture: John GraingerSource:News Limited

Mrs O’Brien’s distraught husband John, who was not home when the fire began, arrived at the scene before 7am looking for his family.

Firefighters, who were on the scene within minutes, heard and felt the explosion 1km away, while witnesses saw a fireball start from the back before exploding to the front of the building.

Firefighters continue to douse the site of the explosion with water this morning, hours after all hell broke loose. Picture: John GraingerSource:News Limited

Daylight reveals the full impact of the explosion on the surrounding street. Picture: John GraingerSource:News Limited

Police said a silver sedan, seen doing a U-turn and speeding from the scene only moments after the explosion, might be linked to the fire. A senior NSW Police spokesman said “it is looking more and more like a deliberate act” and an initial crime scene was broadened yesterday morning after a 25m trail of blood leading away from the building was found.

They are examining CCTV footage outside the store, which traded from 7am to 11pm.

Shop owner Mr Khan, who remained in Royal Prince ­Alfred Hospital last night with serious head and leg injuries, was yet to be ­interviewed.

Sue Ashe, who lives ­behind the building and was awake when the building ­exploded, described hearing a “bomb or gas explosion”.

Desperate search for missing mum and baby1:06

A mother and her young baby son are feared dead among the rubble of a Rozelle unit block after an explosion in a convenience store this morning.

September 4th 2014

2 years ago

/video/video.news.com.au/News/NSW/

Blood found at the scene. Picture; John GraingerSource:News Corp Australia

The site of the explosion and (inset) the business before it went up in flames. Picture: GoogleSource:Supplied

Massive explosion rocks Rozelle0:31

Archival footage of a massive explosion which tore through a Rozelle convenience store in September, 2014.
Video: Bill Hearne

September 4th 2014

2 years ago

/video/video.news.com.au/News/

“It was a bright flash and a burst of flames and then an almighty bang at the back of the property and it seemed to move forward quite quickly all the way through the property,” she said.

“I thought it was bomb or a gas explosion. I went out to the back and heard a man say ‘help me, I’m trapped’.”

Fire and Rescue Superintendent Paul Johnstone said crews arrived to find the building partially collapsed and had to call off search ­efforts when it became too dangerous. He said “flames were shooting out of the building” and windows 100m away had been smashed by the force of the blast.

The blaze took several hours to bring under control before the grim search for survivors began.

More than 50 firefighters, including the Urban Search and Rescue Unit, were using heat-detecting cameras and sniffer dogs to find the missing trio. “It’s still a rescue and, as horrific as the scene is down there, we are still holding out hope there are survivors,” Supt Johnstone said.

“Two people remain unaccounted for,” a statement from Fire and Rescue said.

“It is yet to be determined if they are still inside.”

The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage. Picture: Bill HearneSource:News Corp Australia

Three people were treated at the scene by paramedics. Picture: Bill HearneSource:News Corp Australia

Police Superintendent Clive Ainley said CCTV from the surrounding shops would be examined to see if a silver sedan seen at the scene was connected to the fire.

Neighbour Sue Atkinson said the sound of the explosion “shook” her out of bed. “It sounded like a bomb. I looked out the window and there was black smoke. We didn’t get that close but there was a man, an Asian man, running frantically.”

Neighbour James Considine said he heard a “death scream” of panic and saw 10m flames.

Darling Street will remain closed to traffic this morning.

Motorists are being urged to avoid the area while emergency services continue their work.

Additional reporting: Tanya Smart and Matt Bamford

Destroyed ... the aftermath of the explosion in Rozelle. Picture: Twitter/@carroll_anthonySource:Supplied

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